A Picture Book of Sam Houston

Gr 1–3—Young readers are introduced to the man who played a significant role in the establishment of the state of Texas. The Adlers' clearly written narrative offers information on Houston's life and political career, beginning with a glimpse of Texan soldiers losing their battle at the Alamo, then leading a victorious battle winning independence from Mexico. The next passage discusses Houston's parents' backgrounds, his birth, childhood farm life, and teen years living among Cherokee Indians. Houston's military and political career is followed as a soldier with the Tennessee Regulars in the War of 1812, a position with the U.S. War Department, governor of Tennessee, and the first elected president of the Republic of Texas. Full-page, colorful computer-generated artwork depicts Texan soldiers during wartime in the 1800s, the lifestyle, clothing and uniforms, and architecture of the time, and Houston's loving care for the citizens he represented. This informative biography is perfectly suited for lower elementary school students.—Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, OR